Oil and gas separator



July 21, 1925. 1,547,090

E. A. WHITTEN OIL AND GAS SEPARATOR Filed Sepia. 15, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 0i H m WU .IH" .H MI 1L3?) J5 v I J2 m 4a a? a i J7 Liz LLL 11,,

a /l4} a/177M LL ME J4 A July 21, 1925.

E. A. WHITTEN OIL AND GAS SEPARATOR Filed Sept. 15, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented ul vely 21. 1925.

warren STATES PATENT series.

noel-inn a. WRITTEN, or SANTA FE srnrnes, oamronma, assrenon or ONE-THIRD mo anner annnnson, F BREA, oanrronma, AND one-THI D 'ro snennon A. ERWXN, or SANTA rnsrames, canrrosame.

on. eas SEPARATOR.

Application filed September 15, 193214. serial No. teases.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it knownth-at l, EUGENE A. WHITTEN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at.

Santa Fe Springs, in the county of Los Angeles and" State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oil and Gas Separators, of which the following is a specification.

lhis invention is an oil and gas separator and consists of the novel features here in shown, described and claimed. 7

A leading object is to make an oil and gas separator having a float control 'oil outlet valve constructed and protected so that it cannot sand up and so that it will be sell-cleaning and the valve being constructed wholly inside of the separator so as to require no stufling box no outside lever, and no glands or packing.

Another object is to make an oil and gas separator having a weight controlled gas outlet and a ficat controlled oil outlet so that the gas pressure will assist in discharging the oil and keep the oil from overflowing into the gas container.-

(lther objects and advantages will appear from. the drawings and specification.

The drawings illustratetheconstruction and operation of an, oil and gas separator embodying the principles of the invention.

Figs. '1 and 1 join together with Fig. l fitting upon the bottom of Fig. 1, and make a sectional elevation of the oil and gas separator.

Fig.2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional detail. on the line 2-2 of Fig. 15 and looking downwardly as indicated by the arrows.

l i 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 v of Fig. 1; and looking downwardly as indicated by the arrows.

The details of the construction and op eration shown in the drawings are as follows: J

Where it is intended that the oil and gas separator is to be used in connection with an oil well having a large production, it is necessary that the separator be planned and built of considerable size, and the size and capacity is determined largely by the diameter and length of the main shel 1. A flange 2 extends outwardly around the lowor end of the shell 1. A head 3 is secured to the flange by bolts l and the drain or; oleanout plpe 5 leads from-the center of the head 3 and is controlled by a valve 6.

The extreme lower part of the chamber 7 within the shell 1 above the head 3 is a settling basin for sand mud, and the like, and during the operation of the separator the valve 6 is to remain closed and is to be opened more or less from time to time" to'let the sand out of the chamber 7.

The valve'casing 8 extends from the side of the shell 1 above the chamber 7 like the side outlet of a T. The casing 8 is of considerable size to forma chamber g. A flange 10 is formed around the outer end of the casing 8. Ahead 11' is secured to the flange 10 by bolts 12. An oil outlet into the chamber 9. .The molasses valve fitting 15 is. screwed upon the nipple 14: With its-segrnental finished face 16 extending inwardly. The shutter member 1'? fits against the face 16. The shutter 17 has pintles 18 and 19 extending from its ends and levers 2 0 and 21 are placed in position with the pintles 18 and 19 extending through the levers and'the levers are mounted upon pintles 22 and 23 extending from the sides of the valve fitting 15. The ends of the levers and 21 are brought together inside of theshutter '1?" and secured to a stop- 24 by rivets 25, and extend inwardl and, downwardly to form the arms 26. 27, is connected to the inner ends of the nected to the link 27 ahd has guide rihs 30 engaging the inner face of the shell. 1. The, shell 1 is circular and the float '29 is circular and the ribs .36 space thefioatzll'from the shell 1 to allow the oil to rundown around the float. 'As the float goes" up the shutter 17 opens to allow the oil ran out throu h the pipe 13'and as the heat comes down t e shutter" 17 closes to hold the oil and hold the gas in the shell 1. The float 29 opcrates in the chamber 21 extending upward 1y from the chamber 7. A. casing 32 is mounted at the top of the chamber 31, the

casing 32 being considerably smaller'than the shell 1, thereby forming a chamber-33 outside of the casing 32 and a chamber34 link inside of the casing. Thelower end of the v casing32 is connected to the shell 1 by a perforated flange 35.

The .flow pipe 36 coming from the oil well is connected through the shell 1 to discharge the oil and gas into the chamber 33 and the oil is supposed to'pass downwardly through the perforated flange 35 into the lower part of the shell 1, and in due course raise the float 29, open the shutter 17, and pass through the pipe 13 to a storage tank. The casing 32 forms a baffle plate extending up and-down in the shell 1 for a considerable distance and if" gas passes downwardly through the flange 35 with the oil, the gas may pass upwardly through the chamber 34. A gas separating chamber 37 is'formed above the casing 32 in the shell 1. A flange 38- is formed at the upper end of the shell 1.

A head '39 fits upon the flange 38 and has a valve seat 40 at its center. Supp rting rods 41 are fixed through the head 39 around the valve seat 40 and extend downwardly into the upper end of the casing 32. F0- raminous diaphragms 42 and 43 are fixed upon the rods 41 and spaced apart and fit closely in. the shell 1. After the head 39 carrylng the rods 41 and diaphragms 42 and 43 have been placed in position in the chamber 37, the extension shell 44 having a flange 45 is applied and bolts 46 are .inserted through the flange 45 through the head 39 and through the flange 38 to make an air tight joint. The gas pipe 47 extends from the side of the extension shell 44 to.

be connected to any suitable means for dis.- posing of the gas such as a container or pipe line. Aflange 48 is formed at the upper end of the extension shell. 44. A head 49 fits upon theflange and bolts 50 connect the head to the flange. A valve 51 fits the valve seat 40. A valve stem 52 extends from the valve 51 through a stutfing box construction 53' upon the head 49. A bearing post 54 extends upwardly from the head 49. A

lever 55 is connected to the bearing post 54 and to the upper end of the stem 52. A rod 56 is connected to the opposite end of the lever 55 from the post 54 and carries a base 57 and an assortment of weights 58 applied to the.rod and resting upon the base. The pressure at which the valve 51 will open' may be accurately regulated by manipulating the weights 58 as in operating a scale. A regulating valve 59 controls the flow of oil from the well to the pipe 36 to the separator and the chambers 7, 31, 33, 34 and 37 will fill with oil and gas and the valve 51'will hold the gas pressure to the desired extent and the oil will raise the float 29 to open the shutter 17 and-the gas pressure will assist in forcing the oil to flow through the pipe 13 to the tank or pipe line. When the gas flows upwardly through the foraminous diaphragms 42 and iasaaceo 43, the particles of oil will be broken up and separated from the gas and the oil will flow downwardly and the gas will flow up wardly and as the pressure goes over the predetermined point the valve 51 will open and the gas flow through the pipe 47. The continually rising gas pressure will increase the speed of the flow of oil through the pipe 13 as required to keep the oil from overflowing upwardly to the gas pipe 47.

The oil outlet valve in the casing 8 is in a side pocket entirely inside of the casing, and there is no stufling box or outside lever and nothing to get out of order, and it is above and atone side of the settling basin 7 and'out of the line of the sandflowing downwardly from the inlet, pipe 36; If proper attention is given to the matter of draining the sand out of the chamber 7 by manipulating the valve 6, there is no reason that the separator should ever clog.

It will be readily understood that oil entering the shell 1 through the inlet pipe 36 upon flowing downwardly in the shell 1 will tend to have the majority of the sand therein settle out and fall into the chamber .7 from which it may be readily removed.

By disposing-the valve casing 8 above the bottom of the shell and upon one side thereof, there will be very little'tendency for any of the sand to pass out through the discharge pipe 13. By providing the discharge pipe 13 with a valve fitting 15 having a convex seating surface over which the shutter 17 is slidable. the sand which may enter the valve casing 8- will be somewhat directed away from the entrance to the discharge pipe 13. and there will be very little wear. Any sand which may settle upon the convex seating surface 16' will be removed thcrctrom by the shutterl7 so thatthe sand which does enter the valve casing 8 will not have a chance to quickly wear out or loosen the float controlled valve.

Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. An oil and gas separator comprising a shell, an annular fora'rninated diaphragm mounted in the shell, a casing mounted on the diaphragm and extending upwardly and forming an annular chamber above the diaphragm, the chamber of the shcll below the diaphragm being an oil chamber, a valve casing near the lower end of the shell, a float in the shell, an oil. outlet pipe extending through the outer end of the valve casing, a valve having a curved face upon the inner end of the outlet pipe in the valve casing, a curved shutter member slidahle on the curved face, levers pivoted to the oil outlet I pipe and having a pivotal connection tothe' shutter, an oil drain having a'valve at the bottom of'the shell and an oil 'inletto the annular chamber. g Y

2. An oil and gas separator com rising in combination a shell, an annular oraminated diaphragm, a casing mounted on the diaphragm and extending upwardly forming. an annular chamber with the shell, the chamber-below the diaphragm .being an oil chamber, a float in the oil chamber, anoil outlet having a valve situated above the base a of the shell and operated by the float, an oil drain having a valve at thebottom of the shell, an oil inlet to the annular passage, 5 and a gas outlet operated by the gas .-pressure at the top of the shell.

3; An oil and gas separator comprising in combination a vertical cylindrical shell,

an annular foraminated diaphragm forming an oil chamber therebelow, a casing extendupward from the diaphragm and forming an annularchamber with the shell and an 'diaphragms above the casing forming a gas separating'chambe'r, a; head 'across the i upper end of the separating chamber having a weighted valve seated therein, a gas outlet above the head, an oil inlet-through the shell'above 'the annular diaphragm, a float slidably mounted in the oil chamber, a valve casing opening thro gh the shell into the oil chamber, an oil' utlet valve therein operated by the float, and an oil drain having a valve at the bottom of the shell.

open passage through the center, foraminous.

Intestimony whereof I have signed my 3 name to this specification.-

E. A. WHITTEN. 

